The Detroit Red Wings have a goal of snapping their nine-year playoff drought and have done some good moves in the offseason.
Detroit solidified the goalie position by acquiring John Gibson, but the Red Wings still have a need to add more offense. With that, NHL analyst Rob Couch of NHLTradeRumors links the Red Wings to trading for Pittsburgh Penguins star winger Rickard Rakell.
“The Red Wings have to do something this offseason as there have only been a number of misses so far. They have the cap space and have also been linked to Karlsson,” Couch wrote. “While it would be a tall task to bring in both, cap-wise and asset-wise. It would make a lot of sense to add a physical sniper to the top-six and finally bolster the team with another much-needed piece. There is a spot on the top line that needs to be filled.
Rakell’s name has come up in trade talks and would be a great addition for the Red Wings. He would be a top-six winger who would add some much-needed offense to the lineup. Rakell recorded 35 goals and 35 assists for 70 points in 81 games.
Rakell has three years left on his six-year, $30 million deal.
Insider Expects Penguins to Trade Rakell
NHL insider Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet has Rakell on his trade bait board and expects the Penguins to move him.
Pittsburgh has made it clear they want to begin a rebuild, and Kypreos believes he will be dealt as several teams need offense.
“Similar to Rust, 32-year-old Rickard Rakell is also coming off his career-best offensive season. Scoring 35 goals and 70 points in 81 games,” Kypreos wrote. “He has three years remaining on his contract and makes $5 million against the cap. But does have an eight-team no-trade list.
“Given how thin the options were in the UFA market this summer, plenty of teams are still seeking top-six scoring help,” Kypreos added. “As the salary cap continues to rise, both players would also bring cost certainty at a low rate for three years. These factors should make the two Penguins forwards all the more valuable as trade assets. And, drive up the asking price for the Penguins.”
Rakell is a one-time NHL All-Star and is a legit top-six scoring winger.
Red Wings Failed to Add Big-Name Players in Offseason
Detroit is in the midst of a playoff drought, and the Red Wings didn’t add many big-name players in free agency.
The Red Wings, instead, added more depth players like signing James van Riemsdyk, Mason Appelton, Jacob Bernard-Docker, and Ian Mitchell.
“Going into free agency, we all recognized that it was going to be difficult all around the League,” Yzerman said. “For whatever reason, there weren’t as many what we would all consider high-end free agents available this year. So, it wasn’t really a shock to us that we weren’t able to get anything done with any of the bigger-name guys.”
Although Detroit didn’t make many big moves, Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman believes the team is better.
“Today, I think our team is a little bit more competitive,” Yzerman said. “Maybe constructed a little better than it was at this stage last year. So I’m hopeful that we take a step… Overall, I think we’re a little bit better. How many points does that translate to in the season? We’re going to find out.”
Detroit still has over $12 million in cap space, so the Red Wings can add another top-line player.
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